On a special anniversary episode of the “No-Contest Wrestling” podcast, hosts O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson were joined by NXT’s rising star, Je’Von Evans, who detailed his journey from a teenage prodigy to one of WWE’s most exciting young talents.
Evans shared that his passion for wrestling ignited after a memorable Monday Night Raw segment where Triple H pedigreed Sheamus through an announce table. “When I saw that, I said, ‘Oh yeah, bro. I might be a wrestler,'” Evans recalled.
His journey began at the young age of 13, driven by a singular focus to become a professional wrestler. A pivotal “welcome to wrestling” moment came at 14 during a seminar where, out of 50-60 more experienced wrestlers, he and his friend were chosen to have a match on a show that night. “I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. Like, I’m in the wrestling business now,'” he said. In his early days, he even wrestled under the name “Kid Black America,” with his father acting as his manager in a gimmick.
Growing up, Evans was inspired by WWE legends like John Cena, Kofi Kingston, Jeff Hardy, and CM Punk. For his charismatic persona, however, he draws from non-wrestling figures like Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather, and even Riley from The Boondocks.
After graduating high school, Evans committed fully to the independent circuit, a period he remembers as “a run.” He described the hustle of negotiating his own pay and sometimes wrestling for as little as $10, $20, or even for free just for the opportunity. “I really appreciate everything that I really went through because it was worth it,” Evans stated.
Evans’s career-changing moment came during WrestleMania weekend at the GCW For the Culture show. Not originally booked, he reached out for a spot and got one when another wrestler couldn’t make it. During his entrance, he spotted WWE scout Gabe Sapolsky, whom he had met as a 15-year-old. Motivated to make an impression, Evans said, “I’m about to go crazy, like you’re done for it.”
Immediately after being eliminated from the match, Sapolsky met him at the curtain and asked for his email, which led to his WWE tryout. Evans also credited Shawn Michaels for championing him, revealing he was initially not going to be signed due to his age and size. “Shawn was, like, ‘no, like, just trust me.’ And everybody trusted them,” Evans said, noting Michaels is now one of his go-to people for advice.
Evans offered advice to aspiring wrestlers on the grind. “You always gotta remember what your final goal is…The grind is the grind, and it’s not gonna be easy at all. The easier it is, honestly, in my opinion, you’re doing something wrong.”
